A tremor shook Henry's mind. He fell down on his knees and stared at his mother who didn't even respond to his call. She was still alive but the trauma of what happened took her soul away.
"You piece of shit!"
Henry glared at the hobgoblin. He struggled to stand up as the shock made his body feel feeble.
The hobgoblin grinned at him. A protruding body part was obscenely exposed in front of it, but it didn't mind.
"I will cut that thing off, cook it, and feed it to my chickens!" Henry shouted in anger.
The hobgoblin didn't understand him, and that only made Henry even more mad.
He grabbed a big stone beside him and threw it at a baby goblin. The naive baby goblin couldn't dodge, and the rock crushed its skull.
"AWAHHHHHHHH!"
The hobgoblin screamed in fury. It wasn't smart, but it knew that it needed to avenge that baby goblin.
"Come chase your father!"
Henry ran away. He seemed to regain his strength at this moment. The hobgoblin was furious, and it immediately ran after him. It didn't let the mercenaries escape earlier. It also wouldn't let Henry escape.
Its survival would become impossible once Henry leaves. It didn't know why, but it could feel that it would die once Henry escapes.
Henry initially thought that there were only puny goblins in this cave. He didn't expect a hobgoblin to be here!
It boasted tough physical strength, fast speed, and endurance equivalent to a horse! Henry was no match for it even if he was a magus.
Henry knew his limits. That's why he didn't hesitate to run. He looked around him while simultaneously creating another flame.
He arrived at the rotten cave and managed to finish conjuring the flame. He increased his speed and rushed out. He stepped on the corpses no matter how disgusting they were.
The hobgoblin was similarly ignoring everything as it ran after him.
It was only several arm's length away. He wouldn't be able to leave the cave in time. Even if he did, he would still be chased through the woods.
Henry conjured another spell. This time it wasn't a flame, rather, it was a small black bead.
Once it formed he threw it behind him, it immediately exploded without his control. It released the enormous amount of light it contained in a small point.
It was black earlier because it was sealed to perfection with no losses. Only after it wasn't controlled would it release all at once.
"SHRAAAAAAAAA!!"
The hobgoblin stumbled because of the bright flash of light. It crashed and hit the side of the cave.
Henry was happy, but it wasn't the end yet. He only temporarily blinded the hobgoblin. Soon after, he could hear it scream and run again.
It was even faster! The sound of its footsteps made Henry's heart thump in horror. The flash of light agitated the hobgoblin to madness.
Henry conjured another Simple-class spell. It was a pitch-black cloud that looked eerie. He threw it at Wanner's corpse that he had just passed.
Behind him, Wanner's dead body opened its eyes and stood up.
The hobgoblin punched it. Wanner's undead corpse fell down, but it stood up again. It didn't move but only stayed there.
The hobgoblin was too wary. It was also spooked seeing the dead human stand up so it punched it again and again until it couldn't anymore.
By that time, the mana Henry put into the dead corpse faded away.
Henry was so close to the exit. He could already smell the fresh air.
"GRAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!"
The hobgoblin ran with its arms and legs. Its speed was so fast it was already at a similar distance to Henry compared to earlier.
Henry looked back and whipped his arm to the hobgoblin. A small bolt of lightning left his fingers and hit the hobgoblin, causing it to crash and seize up due to its muscles contracting because of the lightning.
Henry rushed out and grinned at the breath of fresh air that greeted him.
'That was so close!'
He was only temporarily safe. He still needed to run.
"Henry! Come quick!"
A group of uncles called Henry over. They were the ones who chased after him earlier.
Henry nodded his head and ran to them.
"WRAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!"
The body-rumbling roar of the hobgoblin resounded through the woods. The uncles trembled. Their instincts told them that a scary monster was inside the cave.
"Scatter!"
An uncle with white hair shouted.
Everyone didn't hesitate and dashed in all directions. Henry was grabbed away by one of them.
Henry slightly relaxed. The chance of the hobgoblin rushing for him this time was quite slim.
"KRAHHHHHHH!!"
Henry's heart trembled. The hobgoblin specifically ran after him!
The Hobgoblin was enraged and stimulated so much by Henry that it didn't want to rest until it could eat Henry's flesh. It tracked his unique body odor in order to kill him.
"What did you do!?"
The uncle pulling him forward was even more scared than Henry. He was a powerless human with no remarkable skill.
"I killed its baby!" Henry answered truthfully as they ran faster.
"We're dead!"
The uncle was horrified. He let go of Henry's hand and ran in a different direction. He wasn't close to this kid, so he didn't feel bad at all.
Henry was stunned but he quickly regained his calm. This was human nature. Survival comes before everything.
He could understand since even he didn't know who this uncle was. He would usually see him walking nearby their house.
The hobgoblin didn't even glance at the fleeing uncle. It focused solely on Henry.
"You really chased your father!"
Henry cursed it. He conjured another spell. A fog formed in front of his chest as he moved his hands in peculiar circular motions, grabbing strands of mana from the environment in the process.
The hobgoblin reached closer and closer. Its ragged breathing became louder and louder. The thump from its steps could be felt on Henry's chest.
Finally, he threw the ball of fog behind him. It exploded into a mist cloud that covered the whole area.
Henry used this opportunity he created to change directions.